


With or Without Magic

by livwrites



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Community: HPFT, LGBTQ Character, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-09
Updated: 2016-07-25
Packaged: 2018-06-01 06:08:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6503920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/livwrites/pseuds/livwrites
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A series of unconnected Muggle AUs.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The First Flame

The coffee shop was warm, and that was all Harry Potter wanted as he stepped into it. Well, warmth and a coffee and doughnut, he supposed. It was freezing outside, with the snow and hail pouring down to cover everything in a very thick, very cold blanket. If, he thought, the heater in his police cruiser worked, he would have been perfectly fine.  
  
He joined the line and, when he got to the front, bought his coffee and doughnut. Coffee black with a tiny pinch of sugar and a jelly doughnut, just how he liked it. Sitting down at the only empty table, he shifted his gun on his belt after he set the coffee down. He wanted to avoid bumping it against the table or the chair and having it come off his belt and hit the ground, like last time.  
  
The lieutenant, Kingsley Shacklebolt, had not been pleased with him.  
  
Harry took a bite out of his doughnut and wrapped his icy hands around his coffee cup, sighing in relief as the heat from the coffee began to thaw his frozen fingers.  
  
More people began to walk into the shop, some hunched over to try and protect themselves against the cold. Most of them saw that all the tables were taken and left. There were a few people he didn't recognize, and one he didn't.  
  
The one at the front, was the only woman. Harry took a sip of his coffee and tried to figure out where he had seen her before. Her long red hair reached her waist; that was all he could see of her as she had her back to him while she stood at the cashier.  
  
As she turned around, Harry realized, feeling a jolt in his chest, who she was.  
  
Ginny Weasley was a reporter for the _Daily Prophet_ , the most well-known newspaper in England. Over the course of her career she had written many stories about police cases Harry had been involved in, from simple robbery cases at the beginning of his career to murder investigations once he was transferred to the Investigative unit.  
  
She was also incredibly attractive, and she was heading right for his table.  
  
"Hello, Detective Potter," she said in a friendly tone. Harry, who was drinking from his coffee, waved a hand in reply and gestured for her to sit down.  
  
"How are you today?" he asked her weakly, brushing doughnut crumbs quickly off his police jacket and hoping she didn't notice.  
  
"Cold," she answered simply. "It would be nice if office heating actually, you know, worked for once. I swear, the repairman's going to be living in our office if the bloody thing breaks any more often than it does already."  
  
"I know the feeling," Harry replied, thinking of the heater in his cruiser. "At least the heater in my house works," he added, and then kicked himself for saying it.  
  
"It does, does it?" Ginny asked, winking at him as he turned a deep shade of red. "That's a very good thing isn't it, Detective?"  
  
Was she flirting with him? Harry didn't know; he just knew that she was sitting in front of him, she was incredibly attractive, he was embarrassing himself, and he wanted to spend time with her once he was done with work.  
  
"So, uh..." he began, "what are you doing tonight?" The words came all out in a messy rush, as though they were racing each other out of his mouth.  
  
Ginny smiled. "Well," she replied slowly, twirling a lock of hair around her finger, "I have an article I have to finish up for tomorrow's paper but after that," she gave him an appraising look, "I'm free."  
  
"That's great," Harry said without thinking. "Could... could I see you then? Here, maybe?"  
  
"I would love to," she said warmly, and Harry's coffee suddenly tasted a lot better.


	2. Burned Sausages

The sausages sizzled in the pan as Sirius Black poked them curiously with the flipper he held in his hand.

"Lupin!" he yelled suddenly, turning around in the tiny kitchen, "come help me with these blasted things."

From another room came another man. He was of average height with sandy hair and green eyes. "Well, Sirius," he said, feigning exasperation, "if you had learned to cook when I first offered to teach you, you wouldn't need my help to make you breakfast now." He took the flipper from Sirius as the other man stood there sputtering.

"That was in high school, Lupin! Besides, that would have involved going to your house!"

"What was wrong with my house?" Lupin questioned. He turned the sausages over, watched them for a second, and then grabbed a plate from the drying rack by the sink, put them in the middle, and handed it to Sirius.

Sirius took the plate with a thanks and said defensively, "Well, your father scared me. I didn't like him." He sat down at the kitchen table.

Lupin smirked. "Maybe that's because he knew that you had an enormous crush on his only son." He ruffled Sirius's hair, knowing full well that the other man hated it.

Sirius shook his head as he cut his sausage up. "Lupin! Leave my hair alone!" He pushed his hair out of his eyes and took a bite of the sausage. "Yes, well," he added, replying to Lupin's comment, "um..." He looked down at the sausage. "This is burned."

Lupin poured himself a bowl of cereal and added milk to it. He sat down opposite Sirius. "Well, it's not my fault." He took a sip of tea from a mug that was already on the table. "They were burned before I ever touched them. I merely prevented them from being burned futher."

Sirius finished his sausage and put the plate away in the sink. "Well, then, Lupin, perhaps we should have those cooking lessons after all." He wrapped his arms around Lupin's chest and planted a kiss on his cheek. "Although maybe we could do... other things first?"

Lupin stood up, leaving his bowl of cereal unfinished. "While I love the idea," he replied, "Lily and James are coming around in half an hour."

Sirius shrugged. "We can be done in half an hour."

"Yes, we could, but we need to clean up first. And considering what this apartment looks like it's going to take us at least all that time to make it look even somewhat presentable."

"After they leave," Sirius suggested. "I'll go clean up the living room."

Lupin said nothing and merely raised his eyebrows. "The living room is the messiest. I'd have expected you to want to do the bathroom, the one place here that is clean." He turned and walked down the hall. "I'll clean the bedroom."

Sirius walked into the living room and went straight to the television. He opened the middle drawer of the stand and pulled out a small box. Breathing a sigh of relief, he put it in his pocket. He was glad that Lupin hadn't noticed it or moved it at all. It would have ruined the surprise.


End file.
